The hopes of the hunting fraternity and its supporters in Parliament for the ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales to be overturned have been dealt a blow after a minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said a free vote on repealing the Hunting Act was not a priority for the coalition.
Jim Paice, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, said: “There are many greater priorities facing the Government at the moment.”
Bloodsport enthusiasts suffered another setback with the results of an Ipsos MORI opinion poll, commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports, which found that 76 per cent of the British public think fox hunting should remain banned, while 84 per cent say stag and hare hunting should also remain illegal.
